Phantom and The Silver Bonfire
by DieselShark777
Summary: This Fanfic was inspired and made possible by a Forum made by FarlanderXen called Heroes arize and I highly recommend you check it out. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this Fanfic. (Rated T for: Violence, Language, and Criminal Elements.)
1. Chapter 1

It was a late night in December 1946; the city was covered in a thin sheet of snow and Christmas décor was on every building. On 37th street was a billionaire that sat in his fine leather chair in his 14th floor penthouse. But if one were to observe closer at this scene, he would find that billionaire would never see Christmas. The billionaire sat dead in his chair, stabbed repeatedly with a knife. As the billionaire sat dead, a man wearing black detective gear and a black and white mask walked towards the scene of the crime. As he entered the deceased billionaire's apartment, he pulled out his notepad and began to inspect the scene of the crime. The mysterious detective noted the symbol etched on the billionaire's chest, a bonfire scar filled with melted silver. The detective finished his work and exited the crime scene. He got in his car and drove off to his home, noting the beat up car following him. A thug in the beat up car pulled out a shotgun, and opened fire at the detective's vehicle. The detective pushes a button on his dashboard, causing it to spill an oil like substance out from a hidden nozzle from his car, causing the beat up car to skid out and crash into a nearby warehouse. The detective pulls over, gets out of his car, and goes to confront the thugs. As the detective walked towards the warehouse, the four thugs get out of the beat up car to face the detective. A burly thug, wielding a lead pipe, runs up to the detective with the intent to cause him harm. Like lightning, the detective quickly counters the attack and punches the thug square in the jaw, taking the thug out of the fight. Another thug pulls out a flip knife and slices at the detective. As the detective dodges each knife slice gracefully, he noted a similar bonfire symbol etched on the thug's vests. The detective breaks the knife wielding thug's leg, catches the knife and throws it at the one of the thugs, the knife hits the thug head dead on, killing the thug instantly. The last thug pulls out a shotgun and begins to take aim at the detective. The detective disarms the thug and elbows him in the face, knocking the thug to the floor. The detective tosses the shotgun aside, picks up the thug, and holds him against a wall.

"Who are you?" The thug asks with a terrified tone.

"I am Phantom, Your worst nightmare for tonight." The detective replies.

The thug is now horrified at this point and begins to pant heavily.

"I want to know a few things about you and your former friends. Firstly, Who is your boss?" Phantom says while still holding the thug against the wall.

"His name is Saint Nick. And he has a sidekick that goes by the name, Kiss my ass!" The thug sarcastically retorts. Phantom sighs an annoyed sigh.

"One…" Phantom says. Phantom then breaks the thug's left pinky finger, causing the thug to scream out in pain.

"Want your hand broken or do you want to tell the truth?" Phantom asks in a smug manner. The thug glared menacingly at him.

"I don't know… All I got was some instructions in a manila envelope. If you want to know, check with a guy named Howard Yung, he's our boss." The thug answered.

"Where is he now?" Phantom asked.

"The docks. He's at the docks overseeing the next shipment of our stash." The thug responded, knowing there was no point in lying.

"Thank you…" Phantom says as he knocks the thug out with a single punch. He then gets in his car and drives to the docks. It was a long drive from the central city to his home. It was also snowing lightly so it was also a rather cold drive. Phantom decides to turn on the radio to the classical station to clear his head and contemplate about the current events of the case. He knew that a bigger hand played in the part of the billionaire's demise. He noted the name of the mysterious benefactor that aided the thugs. Howard Yung was a successful scientist that helped in research of countless inventions. He was rumored to have built a fully functioning cryogenic chamber until he vanished under mysterious circumstances. Soon enough, the vigilante arrived at the docks. Phantom parked his car a slight distance away to ensure that these odd thugs would not see it. Phantom then silently makes his way to the foreman's office where Howard Yung resided over paperwork. With blinding speed and silence, Phantom puts Yung in a chokehold.

"Who-? Who are you?" Howard Yung asked whilst being in a chokehold.

"I'm the guy who's going to start breaking bones if I don't get the answers I want." Phantom responded to the doctor. "Now, who is your boss?"

"H-His name is White. Dr. Reginald White. He wanted me to research Cryogenic technology for him. I wanted to decline, but he has my wife hostage!" Yung replied in a panic. Suddenly, a beeping noise could be heard from inside the building. With lightning speed, Phantom grabs Yung and crashes through the window before the office exploded and engulfed in flames. The two landed on an awning and got away safely before the police arrived. Phantom dropped off Yung at a small inn and drove off to his home to revaluate his clues, unaware that a mysterious probe on one of the rooftops was already watching him closely. When Phantom arrived home, He sat at his desk and conducted research on this Dr. White, surrounded by memorabilia of his past cases. During this research, He found out that the corrupt doctor owned a medical sciences company known as Silverfire Industries. He also discovered that Silverfire industries' main office was only a few blocks away from his location. He was about to leave when a swift blow to the head immediately knocks him out by a club held by a Silverfire thug. The Goons carried the unconscious detective to their car and took him to their headquarters. Phantom awoke rather groggily being dragged by two Silverfire goons dragging him across the carpet. As he was being dragged, He noted that he was on the top floor of a large corporate skyscraper. He is then dropped in front of a large desk in what seemed to be the same office. A middle aged man dressed in a white suit drinking a martini stood in front of a large window overlooking the sleeping city.

"Ah, You must be the meddler that Yung informed me of. You must know I am Dr. White by now; you seemed to be looking me up in your files when my men knocked you out. I'm quite impressed that you figured out I was the boss so swiftly, the last one who figured it out was some billionaire on 37th street. But you already know that my men took care of him. " Dr. White said with a smug grin as he drank the last sip of his martini. "I could dispatch you like that billionaire, but I feel that wouldn't suit you. How about I use something that suits your cold yet inquisitive demeanor." A rather burley thug entered the room pulling in a large, high tech, cylinder container which looked large enough to hold an average sized man. Following the thug was Dr. Yung carrying a clipboard.

"Dr. Yung can create wonders with our resources. For Months we have had this in storage, trying to find someone willing to test it. I now believe we have our willing test applicant." Dr. White said to Phantom sinisterly, he then motions for Phantom to be put inside the cylinder. Phantom struggles with great valor, but is soon put inside the cylinder. Yung taps a few buttons and the machine hums to life. After a few minutes, Phantom is frozen solid inside the cylinder, trapping him inside.

"Take him to the old storage, 21st and north. He won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Dr. White said while looking at the frozen detective.

"Indeed he won't, Doctor. I set it so he won't wake up for ten thousand years. I also locked it so nobody can shorten his sentence early." Dr. Yung said while examining his notes.

"Good… Thank you doctor. Your services are no longer required…" Dr. White says as he pulls out a revolver and shoots Dr. Yung in the head. Meanwhile, two goons transport Phantom's frozen prison to the outskirts of town. As they put him down in the secret storage room in the basement of 21st and north, a probe waited in the corner for the two goons to leave. Once the two goons left, the probe approached the cryogenic pod, pulled out an unknown tool, and inserted it into the pod's console. A few short beeps could be heard as the release time was shortened from ten thousand years to 470 years. After finishing it's work it then flew back into the corner and deactivated transmitting a signal to its unknown master.


	2. Chapter 2

In a dark run down basement, a mysterious pod opened with a loud hiss. Phantom stumbled out of the chamber gasping for air and struggling to stand. The detective noted that it was a little quiet, but the muffled sounds of the street above were heard. In the corner of the room, a dusty probe whirred to life and approached the thawed detective.

"Hello detective. I am Revitalized Intelligence Communicator class-0, but you can call me by my nickname, Rico." The probe said with a peppy attitude.

"Ugh… Where am I?" Phantom groggily asked the probe with confusion.

"You are in a storage room at 21st and north. But I must advise you rest before you head upstairs. The world has changed quite a bit since you last saw it." Rico responded to the detective.

"Why? What's today's date?" Phantom asked.

"January 12th." Rico answered.

Phantom walked upstairs and opened a door to the alleyway. He opened the door to a massive futuristic cityscape of the place he once knew. Rico flew up to Phantom who was awestruck to the massive changes to his hometown.

"I forgot to mention the year, detective. The year is 2416 A.D." Rico said to Phantom. Phantom stumbled back into the alley and sat down with his back against the wall, succumbing to culture shock. He fell quiet remembering the city he once knew, how he used to defend its denizens against crime, now he felt like he did not belong.

"Rico… Where can I get a drink?" Phantom asked the probe with a somber tone.

"There is a small establishment that serves inexpensive alcoholic beverages. I can provide you with the necessary credits if you are interested." Rico says to a crestfallen Phantom. As he is comforting Phantom, a small silver card ejects out of one of Rico's slots. Rico then gives the card to Phantom.

"Here, This should contain 500 credits. It should be enough to buy you a beverage. I'll guide you to the establishment, it is definitely better than rotting in that alleyway." Rico says to Phantom as he exits the alley. Phantom follows the android out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. As the two walked, the city was full of activity from flying cars, neon advertisements, and ill guided fashion senses. Phantom also learned that the city has a new name, Rossenberg. Before long, the two arrive at the bar, aptly named, Old Timer.

"I will wait outside until you return." Rico says to phantom as he hovers to a small charging post. Phantom enters the establishment and felt completely out of his element. The entire place was dim as multi colored lasers flashed, a loud techno beat was booming through the establishment, and scantly dressed individuals danced to the pulsing beat. Phantom found an open spot at the bar and sat down on the stool. A bartender saw the sullen detective and approached him.

"What will you have?" The bartender said to the detective.

"You have any scotch?" Phantom asked the bartender. The bartender nods and gets the sullen detective a shot of scotch.

"You look depressed. Got laid off at work?" The bartender asks Phantom, noticing the detective's sullen attitude.

"Not exactly. "Phantom says as he slams his scotch. "Have you ever felt like you woke up one day and you felt lost in the world?"

"A few times, stranger. A few times." The bartender responded. As the bartender pours Phantom his drink, a group of goons with a familiar bonfire symbol etched on their vests, gather at the entrance wielding multiple SMG's. One of the goons fires his weapon into the air forcing everyone into a panic.

"ALRIGHT! EVERYONE OUT! WE'RE ROBBING THIS JOINT!" One of the goons yelled at the crowd. The crowd complied and rushed out of the establishment with great speed. However, Phantom stayed behind the bar, remaining hidden from the goons who are now sweeping for stragglers. As Phantom hid behind the bar, He noticed that a local police officer had the same idea. The Officer was a large African American man with a crew cut and looked about 35. He also noted that there were five goons in the establishment. Phantom looked around for a suitable weapon to fight back against the goons. The detective saw a pistol on the ground and a shotgun, perfect for his plan. Phantom shoved the shotgun across the floor to the officer and made subtle hand motions describing his plan to take out the goons. The officer nods and remains hidden as he takes position behind an overturned table. Phantom picks up the pistol noting it had a full clip of 18 rounds and gets ready to face the goons. Phantom gets up and begins to open fire on the goons, taking out two out of five goons and expended 5 rounds of ammunition in the process. The three remaining goons turn to face Phantom and began to open fire, unaware of the officer behind them with a loaded shotgun. Phantom dives behind cover as the valiant officer aims and fires two shots into two of the goons, leaving one goon remaining. As the goon runs for the door, Phantom acts quickly and tackles the goon to the ground.

"Who is your boss?" Phantom asks the goon while holding him to the ground.

"His name is Saint Nick and he says kiss my ass!" the goon sarcastically retorts. Phantom sighs and promptly breaks the goon's pinky finger, causing the goon to cry out in pain.

"Try again. For every wrong answer you give, I break a finger. Got It?" Phantom says while still holding down the goon.

"Dr. White. His name is Dr. White. I swear on my honor this is true." The goon said in a horrified tone.

"Thank you for the info." Phantom says as he promptly knocks the goon out cold. Phantom gets up off the floor and brushes himself off.

"Thanks for the save back there. Got a name?" Phantom says to the officer as he pulls out a cigarette.

"Edmund. Edmund Wards, and you are?" The police officer says to the detective.

"Phantom. And I'm having a rough day. " Phantom says to Edmund as he pulls up a chair and smokes his cigarette.

"Believe me, I can relate. " Edmund pulls up a chair and sits next to Phantom. " I was denied a promotion even though I was at the top of my class and was turned down. The kicker is that the wise guy that got the promotion was doing high-grade narcotics and was having an affair with the chief's wife at the time. The reason why they give him a promotion was because they wanted to introduce 'diversity'." Phantom gives an understanding look to Edmund.  
"Try being in an icebox for about 400 years and waking up to find that the entire world has moved on without you and you just feel out of your element." Phantom says to Edmund as he finishes his cigarette. "You definitely seem like you can handle yourself in a tight situation. I'll put in a good word for you."

Rico burst in through the door, obviously in a panic.

"There you are! I heard gunshots! I can't leave you alone for ten minutes without you getting in some predicament!" Rico says as he surveys the scene. "Anyway, I found a establishment you can stay at until proper housing is found for you."

Phantom tosses his cigarette aside and gets up from his chair.  
"I best get going, I need to find a place to stay before it get's dark. Stay safe Ed." Phantom says as he follows the Rico out the door. As he traversed the streets, Phantom noted the grime and grit the city had. It honestly almost felt homely in a sense.

"Over 400 years, and nothing seems to have changed a day." Phantom said to himself as he pulled out and lit another cigarette. Him and Rico kept walking until they see a run down apartment building. Rico unlocks the door and floats inside. Phantom walks inside the building, the pungent smell of dust and mold filled the room. After scanning the area, Rico finds an elevator and hovered inside. Phantom steps inside as Rico pushes the button to the 8th floor. The elevator shoots up to the 8th floor in a matter of seconds. Rico floats out of the elevator and down the hall, stopping at one of the doors.

"Over here, Detective. This is the room I found." Rico says as he unlocks the door. Phantom walks in to find the room is in mass disrepair. Phantom notices a chair in the corner and takes a seat.

"Guess some things aren't meant to change." Phantom says to himself as he sat on the chair smoking his cigarette, contemplating on how he was going to adjust to this new life of his.


	3. Chapter 3

Phantom awoke to Rico cleaning and furnishing the room to make it more habitable.

"Ah. Good morning Detective. I spent the last few hours furnishing the place. The oxygen here was about 81 percent dust particles before I cleaned it. I also made some coffee for you and assembled a crime lab for your crime fighting needs, both of which are on your desk. " Rico said as he finished dusting the counter. Phantom gets up out of bed, stretches, puts on his clothes, and sips his coffee. As Phantom sips his coffee, he notes that his clothes were clean, the power was working at full strength, and the fridge was fully stocked with fresh food. Phantom finishes his coffee and examines his crime lab; it was well constructed for the time.

"How long have you worked on this?" Phantom asked Rico.

"11 hours, 23 minutes, and 46 seconds and counting." Rico responds as he wipes the kitchen counter. Phantom presses a few keys on the keyboard as the crime lab computer hums to life.

"The computer is also equipped with a Rossenberg police department police radio and is also equipped with a global criminal database and archive." Rico says as Phantom continues to examine the computer with curiosity and confusion.

"The technology in this age is impressive." Phantom said while examining the computer doing its work.  
"It's nothing too impressive. It's the normal standard for anyone in the Rossenberg precinct."

Phantom continues to examine the computer until a loud sound blasts through the air followed by a loud roar. Phantom rushes to the window to see a giant spider robot rampaging the city. Phantom also notes a lone individual that was fighting the giant arachnoid valiantly using an odd device to combat it.

"Who is that?" Phantom says while readying his gear.

"That would be Basskick, a well-known hero from Crimson city. I believe he has this covered." Rico says to Phantom. Basskick fights courageously against the Arachnoid using sounds as his weapons. As Phantom makes his way outside, the arachnoid begins to topple down in defeat. A small child was directly in the path of the toppling machine. Like lightning, Phantom runs to the child, picks him up, and gets him out of the way just before the arachnoid lands where the child was. Phantom puts the child down safely as Basskick walks over to him.

"Nice save back there, good to see a fellow hero round these parts. What's your name? " Basskick asks the detective.

"Phantom. I just moved in the neighborhood. And I believe you are Basskick if I am not mistaken." Phantom says to Basskick.

"Indeed you are correct, I am Basskick." Basskick says as he looks around. "I better get back to Crimson City. Nice meeting you by the way."

"Nice meeting you too." Phantom says as he returns to his apartment while Basskick returned to Crimson City. Rico finished dusting the room when Phantom returned.

"Ah, I take it that your interaction with Basskick went well." Rico says as he puts away the cleaning supplies.

"Indeed it did. He seems like a nice fellow." Phantom said as he went back to his crime lab. He decided to look up the name Dr. White. The name felt familiar yet haunting, it couldn't be the one from so many years ago… or was it… The computer loads the results of Dr. White.

"No… It can't be… That's not possible… How? HOW?!" Phantom yells out as the computer showed a photo of Dr. White, looking exactly as he did 400 years ago, still breathing, still alive. Not only was Dr. White alive but also he was still the CEO of Silverfire Industries. Phantom was less than happy about this news and slumped in his chair in defeat.

"Is something wrong sir?" Rico asks the sullen detective.

"Nothing much, just the man that put me in the icebox is still alive even though it is a physical impossibility." Phantom says to Rico whilst researching into the location of the Silverfire offices.

"What exactly is your plan, detective? " Rico asks concerned for Phantom's safety.

"Find Dr. White, bring him to justice, and show the world what he has done." Phantom replied to Rico with the intent to Make Dr. White pay for his crimes.

"At least wait until nightfall, that way you can gain some more evidence without being seen." Rico says to the detective. "Also I made something that can prove to be a valuable asset in fighting crime." Rico gives Phantom two sleek black gauntlets.

"These are a specialized pieces of equipment, they twin grappling hooks with about 50 feet of a micro thin nylosteel wire that can hold a elephant with ease. It mostly used for movement but it can be used for combat purposes." Phantom puts on the gauntlets, which fit perfectly on his wrists.  
"Where should I start in my search?" Phantom asks Rico.

"I would check the outskirts outside of town, it would be the main hub for the criminal underworld. I would, however, exercise caution, not even the police go there. " Rico says to Phantom. Phantom puts on his coat and gear. He then looks out the window.

"Prepare yourself Dr. White. The Phantom is back and coming for you." Phantom says as he waits for the sun to set and coat the city in darkness so that he can begin his work once again.

Basskick belongs to Daimen Lovat whom I asked permission to use in this fanfiction. Mad props to you Daimen.


End file.
